"Lorna" wrote in message ...
I'm not sure what I'm doing wrong, but everything in my (walled, London)
garden flowers really early - even stuff that's supposed to be September
flowering is finishing about now. After mid-June, the only things that
really thrive are the great big thugs (a gigantic wisteria, a renegade hop
that covers everything when my back is turned) - so I buy in colour during
the summer just to cheer it up, with the result that it looks like an
inferior car boot sale. Perennials flower beautifully in years one and
two,
then just produce masses of foliage in year three, giving up altogether in
year four. Depressing and expensive.

I'd be so grateful for anyone's advice or pointers to further
information -
thanks in advance


A walled London garden is almost a tropical area as far as plants go. If you
plant the sort of things normally associated with English gardens then they
will have a problem, it's too hot, and they will flower early, go over early
and never look happy.
Olive trees grow successfully outside in London gardens.

Go for the sorts of plants you see in Mediterranean, South African or even
Australian gardens if your garden is hot and dry, if it's hot and wet (or
you are prepared to water a lot) then look to the more tropical lush plants,
cannas etc.
One problem is overwintering because a lot of these plants don't take any
frost.

Hopefully Jenny will be along soon with lots of URL's ( I lost all mine) and
Pete the Gardener with all his professional experience of London gardens
too.

--
Bob

www.pooleygreengrowers.org.uk/ about an Allotment site in
Runnymede fighting for it's existence.